The Wireless Broadband Alliance announced the successful completion of Phase 2 field trials of Wi-Fi HaLow, otherwise known as the IEEE 802.11ah standard, which over the last few years gradually has been building its case for deployment in smart cities, smart homes, and other IoT environments.
The technology has long appeared to be a promising fit in a world where IoT connectivity continues to expand, both in terms of the number of IoT-connected devices in a given setting and also the need to connect more devices over longer distances. HaLow answers that call with a low-power capability to support more than 8,000 connected sensors and other devices in dense environments like smart cities, and with long-range connectivity capability of up to 1 km. It rides a sub-1 Ghz frequency, and delivers an array of bandwidth options depending on deployment distance.
With the completion of its recent North America field tests, the WBA issued the “Wi-Fi HaLow for IoT: Field Trials Report,” which it said details actionable insights for businesses, network planners, and operators. The Phase 2 field trial use case categories were Smart Home, Warehousing, Smart Farm, Smart City, Smart Office Building, Smart School Campus, and Smart Industrial Complex. The trials were conducted by WBA and its members, including companies that have led the early market charge for HaLow, such as Morse Micro, Newracom, and Methods2Business, alongside other participants such as AT&T, Charter Communications, Nextcomm Systems, and Qualcomm, which focused on larger-scale implementations and testing Wi-Fi HaLow in more challenging environments, the WBA said.
WBA CEO Tiago Rodrigues said, “Each of these real-world field trials has been a huge success demonstrating the readiness and the benefits Wi-Fi HaLow standard can bring to a vast range of industries and use cases, improving performance and reducing complexity. We now move to the next phase, and are inviting industry players interested in participating in trials across EMEA and APAC to reach out. Your participation can help shape the future of IoT connectivity and drive innovation across various sectors.”
More details about each use case and the results can be found in the WBA report, but to summarize two of them in the words of the WBA:
A summary of each use case and the results
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Smart Home: In Denver, Colorado, CableLabs’ Kyrio conducted a trial demonstrating Wi-Fi HaLow’s capabilities within a 5,000 sq ft home and across a 3-acre lot, a collaboration involving Methods2Business, Morse Micro, and Newracom. The trial successfully utilized a single access point to deliver robust and secure Wi-Fi coverage throughout the property, eliminating the need for additional repeaters. Over 140 indoor locations were tested, achieving data throughputs exceeding 8 Mbps in high-demand areas and over 2 Mbps in typical usage scenarios. The system efficiently managed 23 simultaneous device connections at MCS7 PHY rates (32 Mbps), and extended its range over 430 meters, showcasing potential for neighborhood-wide connectivity. Additionally, the trial highlighted efficient network utilization with OTA firmware updates completing in just 30 seconds for a 25 MB file at approximately 20 Mbps, affirming Wi-Fi HaLow’s suitability as a scalable solution for future smart homes and residential networking applications.
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Smart City: In a smart city trial conducted in Irvine, California, Wi-Fi HaLow demonstrated its potential for extensive urban connectivity. Utilizing equipment from Newracom, Morse Micro, and Methods2Business, the technology achieved coverage over a 1 km radius and up to 1.5 miles along Irvine Center Drive. The trial showed strong signal strength capable of supporting high Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS) with PHY rates up to 3.34 Mbps. Even in areas with lower signal strength, connectivity remained robust, facilitating smart city applications such as safety monitoring and asset tracking across diverse urban landscapes including retail plazas and business parks.